Table of contents:
- How can someone have blood type B?
- Characteristics of blood group B
- 1. Blood type B is rare
- 2. Can only donate and accept donors from certain blood groups
- 3. More at risk of heart disease
- 4. More at risk of brain function problems and memory loss
- 5. More at risk of developing several types of cancer
- 6. More at risk of some other diseases
- 7. Diet for blood group B
Blood type can explain genetic information, personality, and a person's risk of disease in the future. Blood type B stores information that is unique and different from blood types A, AB, and O, and vice versa. So, what differentiates blood type B from other blood types? Check out the full explanation below.
How can someone have blood type B?
Blood type is obtained from the combination of the blood of your parents. You are called type B blood if you have B antigens and anti-A antibodies in your blood plasma.
You can have type B blood if:
- The father is blood type B and the mother is blood type B
- Father blood type AB and blood type AB blood
- Father blood type O and blood type B mother
- The father is blood type B and the mother is blood type O
- The father is blood type A and the mother is blood type B
- The father is blood type B and the mother is blood type A
- The father is blood type AB and the mother is blood type B
- The father is blood type B and the mother is blood type AB
Antibodies are proteins found in blood plasma, a component of blood besides red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Antibodies are part of your body's defenses. Meanwhile, antigens are proteins found on the surface of red blood cells.
Apart from being determined through the ABO system, as mentioned above, blood groups can also be further divided according to the rhesus (Rh) system. In this case, blood group B can be divided into:
- Blood type B +, if there is a protein called RhD antigen in red blood cells
- Blood type B-, if there is no protein called RhD antigen in red blood cells
Knowing your blood type is important when you want to do a blood donation or blood transfusion. Your blood type must match the donor so you don't have a bad condition that can threaten your life.
Characteristics of blood group B
Like other blood groups, blood type B also has unique characteristics. Here's the explanation:
1. Blood type B is rare
Blood type B is one of the rare blood types. The Stanford Blood Center states that blood type B + is owned by only 8.5% of the United States population, while blood type B- belongs to only 1.5% of the United States population.
2. Can only donate and accept donors from certain blood groups
Unlike blood group O which is called a universal donor (blood type that can donate blood to any blood type in an emergency), blood group B can only be a donor for certain groups, namely:
- Blood type B + can donate to blood types B + and AB +
- Blood type B- can donate to all blood types B and AB
Blood type B people can only accept donors from:
- Blood types O- and B-, if you are blood type B-
- All blood types B and O, if you are blood type B +
Blood type B is known as the ideal donor for donating whole blood, multiple red blood cells, or apheretic platelets.
3. More at risk of heart disease
Like blood types A and AB, blood type B also has a higher risk of heart disease and heart attack than blood type O. This is because blood type B has the ABO gene which also belongs to blood types A and AB.
If you have the ABO gene and live in a highly polluted area, you may have a greater risk of developing heart disease.
Even so, an article published by Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine states that blood type B has the lowest risk of heart disease compared to blood types A and AB. These diseases include coronary heart disease.
4. More at risk of brain function problems and memory loss
In addition to a higher risk of heart disease, type B blood is also at higher risk of brain function problems and memory loss, such as dementia. That risk also applies to blood types A and AB.
An article published by Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine states that blood type B is the second blood type most at risk for dementia and cognitive impairment after blood type AB.
5. More at risk of developing several types of cancer
Penn Medicine suggests that the ABO gene may have a certain effect in increasing the risk of cancer. However, there are many other factors that are also associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine states that blood type B has a risk of developing the following types of cancer:
- Cancer that invades tissue
- Leukemia and lymphoma
- Pancreatic cancer
6. More at risk of some other diseases
Apart from those mentioned above, blood type B also has a higher risk of developing hypertension or high blood pressure compared to blood types A and AB. Blood type B also has a risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although not higher than those with blood type AB.
In addition, blood type B is also said to have a high risk of developing the following diseases:
- Gonorrhea
- Tuberculosis
- S. pneumoniae infection
- E. coli infection
- Salmonella infection
7. Diet for blood group B
According to the book Eat Right for Your Type quoted by Harvard Health Publishing, the recommended diet for people with blood type B varies, such as:
- Meat
- Fruit
- Milk
- Seafood
- Whole grains
Meanwhile, to lose weight, blood type B people are recommended to:
- Eat green vegetables, eggs, and beef liver
- Avoid chicken, corn, beans, and wheat
The suggestions mentioned above are even more useful when they are used in conjunction with appropriate sports activities. Even so, further research needs to be done to prove whether the blood type diet is truly effective for health and weight loss.
